How can vascular damage associated with ageing and diabetes be reduced? How can brain organoids better model the ageing human brain? And how can synthetic receptors in engineered cell therapies be controlled more precisely? These were among the questions explored by PhD researchers at the 2026 FIGON-LDDC Dutch Medicines Days.

The annual PhD Competition gives early-career researchers the opportunity to present their work to professionals from across the pharmaceutical and medical sciences. This year, eight PhD students took part, with three researchers recognised for their presentations.

First prize: targeting methylglyoxal to protect vascular health

Luisa Wensky of Maastricht University won the competition with her presentation, “Methylglyoxal Under Attack: A Multi-Compound Cocktail Strategy for Vascular Protection in Aging and Diabetes.”

Her research focuses on methylglyoxal, a compound that accumulates with ageing and diabetes and contributes to vascular dysfunction. Wensky investigated whether a combination of compounds targeting methylglyoxal through complementary mechanisms could help protect blood vessels.

In a mouse model of diabetes, the treatment improved endothelial function and aortic distensibility. The findings point to the potential of targeting methylglyoxal metabolism as a strategy to protect vascular health, although further research will be needed to establish its relevance for clinical applications.

Runner-up: developing more representative models of brain ageing

Floris-Jan Haan of the University of Groningen was named runner-up for his presentation, “Modeling aging in brain organoids.”

Brain organoids derived from human stem cells offer opportunities to study neurological processes and investigate potential treatments. However, these models often retain characteristics of relatively young brain tissue, limiting their suitability for research into ageing.

Haan investigated whether dynamic culture conditions could promote greater maturation of brain organoids. The results showed changes in cellular development and gene expression, with dynamically cultured organoids displaying characteristics more similar to those found in older human brain tissue.

Developing models that better reflect the ageing brain could support research into age-related neurological conditions and help improve the relevance of preclinical drug research.

Runner-up: improving control over engineered cell therapies

Bryan Nathalia of Eindhoven University of Technology received the other runner-up award for “Towards safer cell therapies through autonomous control of synthetic receptor activity.”

Engineered cell therapies, including CAR-T cell treatments, rely on receptors that help therapeutic cells recognise and respond to specific targets. Controlling receptor activity is an important consideration in developing treatments that are both effective and safe.

Nathalia developed a regulatory system in which receptor activation triggers its own subsequent downregulation through a molecular feedback loop. The results demonstrated that the system could autonomously limit receptor activity.

This approach could provide a foundation for more controllable engineered cell therapies, although its potential contribution to patient safety will require further investigation.

Supporting the next generation of medicines researchers

The PhD Competition is a recurring part of FIGON Dutch Medicines Days, providing researchers from universities and research institutes across the Netherlands with a platform to present their work and engage with professionals working in medicines research and development.

The three awarded projects illustrate the breadth of research contributing to future medicines, from understanding the biological mechanisms underlying vascular damage to developing improved research models and more controllable cell therapies.

Congratulations to Luisa Wensky, Floris-Jan Haan and Bryan Nathalia, and to all eight participants who presented their research at Dutch Medicines Days 2026.